"Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

[bungalowbill]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Does everybody who picks up a LP with EMG pups, plugs it into a wah, overdrive, chorus and rotovibe, then go into a JCM800 sound like Zakk Wylde?

That is what "tone is in the fingers" means. It means that Jeff Beck could string up a broom stick with pipe cleaners, and it's still gonna sound like him, not that anybody who plays a Strat into a DSL will sound like Jeff Beck.

Amen brother.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Amen brother.

I don't get why this is such a brain twister.

 

[Diego]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I don't get why this is such a brain twister.

Neither do I. :blackeye:

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Somebody posted here a link on Youtube where his boroqueness plays a jazz hollow body. Yes, it definately was not the crispy strat tone he has, but if you would have audio only and no video, after 4 measures you would have no doubt who it was.

 

[El Dunco]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

OK
I'm angry now, I'm a cool guy (look at my cool smiley) but sometimes you need to show your other side...
Yeah,
Tone is in your fingers... two players may sound totaly different on the same guitar, it's true... the angle of your pick and fretting hand, the place you hit the strings, the force your fretting fingers apply to the strings it all effects tone... that's true...
In the equation- of wood, body shape, action, string height, electronics, cable, effects, amps, the place you're playing in.. it's hard to define which factor is the most critical...

And then again.. WTF do the "oh, it's not in the gear, it's in your hands" folks are doing here??????
It's a guitar gear forum!!!!!! SD doesn't sell fingers!! (I hope).

And BTW, when you say things like- "his guitars are not important, he got his tone from his feel" about guitar players, what you are really saying is- "he is such a bad player that he sounds the same on anything". noone sounds the same on different guitars, and good players bring out the good things from a Les Paul and the good things from a Strat and don't make them sound the same because of some problem they have in their fingers or because they're using too many effects that the guitar charecter just fades...


:butkick:
:chairshot
:rocket:

I used to get into some bad habits, I corrected them but i don't sound much differnt. Just a lot more efficient

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

When having this discussion some people refer to tone as tone, and some refer to timbre as tone. Sounds lame and maybe confusing, but I think there's a big difference. Timbre is the sound created by the equipment, and is how you can tell if you're hearing a strat vs. LP or a Marshall vs. Mesa. Tone I consider a combination of gear, technique, and phrasing to name a few.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

When having this discussion some people refer to tone as tone, and some refer to timbre as tone.

I think the people who don't "get it" are referring to timbre as tone.

Here's the test..... do you think the sound of a Les Paul and a Marshall comes from the fingers?

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I think the people who don't "get it" are referring to timbre as tone.

Here's the test..... do you think the sound of a Les Paul and a Marshall comes from the fingers?

Exactly. Have any combination of players you want plug in their gear and just smack out a G chord, then have them all rotate as they wish and do the same thing. I'd be willing to bet money each individual rig would sound the same way each time no matter who banged out that one chord. When the players start expressing themselves is when you can pick them apart and that's completely independent of the gear being used.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Yup. I realized awhile back that once I reached a certain skill level, I spent the next couple years trying different gear, but there was always something I was unhappy with, a common trait that wouldn't go away no matter if I was playing a Fender Mustang into some pedals into a Fender Super Reverb, or a Jackson into a Peavey Rockmaster into a Roland Jazz Chorus.

Turns out it was me

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Yup. I realized awhile back that once I reached a certain skill level, I spent the next couple years trying different gear, but there was always something I was unhappy with, a common trait that wouldn't go away no matter if I was playing a Fender Mustang into some pedals into a Fender Super Reverb, or a Jackson into a Peavey Rockmaster into a Roland Jazz Chorus.

Turns out it was me

Time to sell everything on ebay, guitar n00b.
















That's what I did.

 

[Krister K]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

...Isn´t there a difference between "tone" and "sound"..? Somebody said something about Zakk playing a Tele.
The tone would be Zakk, but the sound wouldn´t be him. Am I wrong?

/Krister K

 

[some_dude]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Timbre is the sound created by the equipment, and is how you can tell if you're hearing a strat vs. LP or a Marshall vs. Mesa. Tone I consider a combination of gear, technique, and phrasing to name a few.

Tone and timbre are two different words for the same thing. I can reverse what you just said above and still fall within the definition of both words.

The tone vs timbre thing is an internet-ism created by forumites that need an excuse to continue using the "tone is in the fingers" argument long after someone points out how stupid it is to say "tone is in the fingers" when an answering a thread entitled "What amp does Zakk Wylde use to get his tone?".

It's obvious that Zakk will sound like Zakk when playing through just about anything. But, that doesn't answer the question asked, and it makes you look like an idiot for saying it in the first place.

How do you like your coffee?

Tone is in the fingers.

That's nice, but it doesn't answer my question.


What amp does Zakk Wylde use to get his tone?

Tone is in the fingers.

That's nice, but it doesn't answer my question.

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Tone and timbre are two different words for the same thing. I can reverse what you just said above and still fall within the definition of both words.

I disagree, to me tone is much more broad description of the sound you hear pouring from a speaker cab, which timbre is only part of. The two are related but they are not interchangeable, at least not IMO.

 

[some_dude]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

...Isn´t there a difference between "tone" and "sound"..? Somebody said something about Zakk playing a Tele.
The tone would be Zakk, but the sound wouldn´t be him. Am I wrong?

/Krister K

Don't get too hung up on this crap. Every couple of months we have this debate where people point out how musically savvy they are by stating the obvious to each other.

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

The tone vs timbre thing is an internet-ism created by forumites that need an excuse to continue using the "tone is in the fingers" argument long after someone points out how stupid it is to say "tone is in the fingers" when an answering a thread entitled "What amp does Zakk Wylde use to get his tone?".

It's obvious that Zakk will sound like Zakk when playing through just about anything. But, that doesn't answer the question asked, and it makes you look like an idiot for saying it in the first place.

How do you like your coffee?

Tone is in the fingers.

That's nice, but it doesn't answer my question.


What amp does Zakk Wylde use to get his tone?

Tone is in the fingers.

That's nice, but it doesn't answer my question.

Then it's obvious you don't understand why people say it then. People usually drop that line when someone asks "what should I buy to sound like Zakk Wylde?" or say "I bought all his signature gear, but I still don't sound like him!". It's not a cop-out, it's simply a way of saying having all the same equipment isn't going to make you sound and play like them, some of their tone is in their fingers, or the way they as an individual play the instrument.

 

[some_dude]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I disagree, to me tone is much more broad description of the sound you hear pouring from a speaker cab, which timbre is only part of. The two are related but they are not interchangeable, at least not IMO.

By who's definition? The one you just made up? If those are the rules than what you're talking about is actually called Mopdust. Mopdust is in the fingers, and Dustmop is the sound comming from the gear.

Sounds just as stupid when I say it that way.

 

[some_dude]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Then it's obvious you don't understand why people say it then. People usually drop that line when someone asks "what should I buy to sound like Zakk Wylde?" or say "I bought all his signature gear, but I still don't sound like him!". It's not a cop-out, it's simply a way of saying having all the same equipment isn't going to make you sound and play like them, some of their tone is in their fingers, or the way they as an individual play the instrument.

Yeah...I don't understand. Please explain it to me, but say it slowly so that I can follow your words. :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

 

[some_dude]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

If you're going to be a pompous *** you aren't worth my time

It's all in the fingers. :laugh2:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

Tone can mean a couple things, but timbre is (something like) the perceived quality of a note, which is what we all mean by tone (in reference to guitar rigs).

I think it's being taken too literally. It's easier to say "tone is in the fingers" than "You can aquire all of Zakk's gear, but you will not sound exactly like him, as the eccentricities of the player play a large role in determining the overall sound."

 

[FretFire]

Re: "Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

I think it's being taken too literally. It's easier to say "tone is in the fingers" than "You can aquire all of Zakk's gear, but you will not sound exactly like him, as the eccentricities of the player play a large role in determining the overall sound."

Exactly, thank you. It's just a way to break it to a kid more easily that spending money won't make him sound like his guitar hero.